In the first chapter of his epistle to the Galatians the Apostle Paul made the following statement:

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel: a gospel which is not the gospel you first knew. But there are some that are disturbing you, and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel different from the one we first preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, I repeat now - if any man preaches to you a gospel different to that which you first received, let him be accursed(Gal. 1:6-9 - paraphrased).

This powerful statement by the inspired apostle has been perfectly fulfilled by many sects and cults today - but nowhere is it more perfectly exemplified than in Mormonism.

ORIGINS

On the night of September 21, 1823, young Joseph Smith, Jr., of New York, allegedly received a visit from an angelic personage, named Moroni, who pronounced himself "a messenger sent from the presence of God," and further that the god whom he represented had a special work for Joseph Smith to carry out. Basing his claim to divine inspiration as a prophet of God upon this and similar experiences he allegedly had with the "Father and Son", Smith, treasure hunter, occultic "peep stone" gazer, and "seer," set out to pen a new revelation now known as The Book of Mormon, which is indeed "different gospel" purported by Smith's followers of today (Mormons) to be the "restoration" of the true Gospel of Christ which they contend has for centuries been suppressed by the clergy of all religions in Christendom, a fact which necessitated divine intervention and the anointing of "Prophet" Smith.

The Mormon church of today would not want you to know that Joseph Smith had at an early age gained a reputation something less than enviable, to say the least, and he is best understood in the light of the statement made by those who knew him best, his neighbours: "... by reason of the extravagancies of his statement, his word was received with the least confidence by those who knew him best. He could utter the most palpable exaggeration or marvellous absurdity with the utmost apparent gravity" (Pomeroy Tucker, Origin, Rise and Progress of Mormonism, p. 16, 1867, New York). Some sixty-two residents of Palmyra, New York (where the Smiths lived for some time) signed the following statement: We, the undersigned, have been acquainted with the Smith family for a number of years, while they resided near this place. We have no hesitation in saying that we consider them destitute of that moral character which ought to entitle them to the confidence of any community. They were particularly famous for visionary projects; spent much of their time in digging for money which they pretended was hid in the earth, and a large excavation may be seen in the earth not far from their residence where they used to spend their time in digging for hidden treasures. Joseph Smith, Sr., and his son, Joseph, were in particular considered entirely destitute of moral character and addicted to vicious habits (E.D. Howe, Mormonism Unveiled, Zanesville, Ohio, 1834, p. 261).These and many similar unimpeachable testimonies give us good reason to question the stories brought to our doors today by Mormon missionaries - and since they set such store on "testimonies of feelings" which fly in the face of facts they are clearly in no position to rebut the testimonies of others!

THE BOOK OF MORMON

After supposedly receiving a threefold visit from the "angel" Moroni Prophet Smith, by angelic authority, supposedly unearthed "golden plates" on which were inscribed in "Reformed Egyptian Hieroglyphics" (an unknown language so none could refute him!) from which he claimed to translate The Book of Mormon. In addition to this marvellous discovery the "angel" also directed the prophet to a mysterious pair of Urim and Thummim "spectacles" which, when the prophet gazed through them, translated the "Reformed Egyptian Hieroglyphics" into English so that Smith was able to transcribe them through his loyal secretaries, Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery, both of whom in company with one David Witmer swore to the authenticity of Smith's revelation and the existence of the golden plates.

We call attention at this point to the fact that both David Witmer and Oliver Cowdery were excommunicated from the Mormon faith as was Martin Harris (FIVE of another EIGHT witnesses called to observe these plates also deserted the "truth"!), and these supposedly unimpeachable witnesses to the veracity of Smith's revelation were described by their former brethren as "thieves," "liars" and "counterfeiters" - hardly a staunch recommendation for the veracity of their testimony of The Book of Mormon! Martin Harris, a prosperous farmer, who befriended Smith and invested money in his schemes, later changed his testimony from a claim to having literally seen the "golden plates" to: "Well, I did not see them just as I see the penholder, but I saw them with the eye of faith. I saw them as plainly as I see anything whatever about me, although at the time they were covered over with a cloth"Today anyone interested in the carefully erected myth concerning the "golden plates" can visit Palmyra, New York, and see the hill Cumorah, where a solitary shaft of granite commemorates the "fact" that it was here that Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, discovered the "golden plates" which formed the basis for The Book of Mormon.

EARLY "PERSECUTION"

On April 6, 1830, at Fayette, New York, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was officially founded with a membership of thirty souls. As the year 1831 drew to a close, the new church numbered several hundred members, and shortly thereafter relocated in Kirtland, Ohio, sending missionaries soon to Jackson County, Missouri, the supposed location of the marvellous city of Zion to be built in the future according to Mormon interpretations of "prophecy" of that time. However, all did not go well with the saints in Missouri and, in 1833, the Mormons were routed from Jackson County, having stirred up the populace against them through some acts as despicable as those perpetrated against them. For a short period of time Mormon refugees sustained themselves in Clay County, Missouri, but increasing opposition to their presence resulted in their expulsion in 1839. Returning to Illinois in 1839, the Mormons built the city of Nauvoo in Hancock County, and with the help of a charter granted to them by the State Legislature they erected well over 2,000 homes, a temple and many other edifices.

During this period of Mormon history things generally seemed to go well for the "saints" until 1844 when a number of apostate Mormons founded a newspaper called "The Nauvoo Expositor" in which they vigorously attacked the "Prophet" or "General" Smith, as he was fond of being called during this period. On the instructions of Smith an attack on the newspaper offices resulted in the destruction of the presses and copy and brought about Smith's subsequent imprisonment in June of 1844, at Carthage, Illinois. On June 27, 1844, an attack on the jail resulted in an armed shoot-out with Joseph Smith and he and his brother, Hyrum, were shot to death by an irate mob who also lost two men due to Smith's gunfire. Typically the Mormon account records this as unarmed martyrdom in which he went like a "lamb to the slaughter" and compares his death to that of Christ at Calvary!

As can well be imagined tremendous friction was generated between the Mormons at Nauvoo and the general populace of Illinois; so much so that in 1846 the Mormons abandoned Nauvoo and pushed on to Iowa under the leadership of Brigham Young, Smith's successor, and at length arrived on July 24, 1847, to form Salt Lake City, in Utah. Under the iron leadership and creative energy of Brigham Young, the Mormons eked out of the desert a fruitful existence, and Mormonism flourished in the Salt Lake Valley, as did Polygamy which was instituted by Smith in Nauvoo and practiced by the hierarchy of the Mormon Church, which gradually passed it down through the ranks, so to speak, until it became a common practice.

THE LIES OF POLYGAMY

In 1877 Brigham Young died and the presidency of the church was assumed by John Taylor, a close associate of Joseph Smith who himself had been wounded during the Carthage, Illinois, assassination of the prophet. President Taylor himself died in 1887 and Wilford Woodruff succeeded to the presidency. It was under the leadership of Woodruff in 1890 that the famous "manifesto" against the practice of polygamy was issued. When read carefully it is clear that this was never claimed to be a command from God but was necessitated mainly by the fact that Utah was forbidden entrance into the Union unless this immoral practice was abolished. Polygamy was openly practiced as early as 1852 and despite Congress enacting a law (in 1862) against the practice little was done about it until 1890. In 1884 the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the law against plural marriage, a decision which brought about the imprisonment of over a thousand Mormons and the disincorporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day aints, a confiscation of its property and other penalties imposed by the Federal Government. It was in the light of this drastic occurrence that President Woodruff in 1890 issued his famous manifesto - for it was directly contradictory to the express words of "Prophet" Smith (Doctrine and Covenants, 132:3-62) claiming polygamy to be: "a new and everlasting covenant and if ye abide not in that covenant then ye are damned, for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory". How long does an "everlasting covenant" last? In Mormon-speak about 50 years! And what is the result of ceasing to be polygamous - "ye are damned" and will NOT enter the Mormon "god's" glory! So WHYwould ANYONE want to join the Mormons?

This inconsistency can never be explained away by Mormons and, equally embarrassing, when you read their Book of Mormon you find that polygamy in the sight of the Mormon god "was abominable" (Jacob 2v23-24; 3v5).

Which "revelation" should they believe? An "inspired" message in their 1835 Doctrine and Covenants stated: "Insomuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again" (D&C, 101)

It is noticeable that the Mormon attempt to cover up the adulterous behaviour of their leaders can be summed up by a statement from their own works: "Although the revelation was recorded by the Church on July 12, 1843, publication of the revelation was not made until August 29, 1852, at a church conference by Orson Pratt" (Journal of Discourses 1:53ff.).

However, twenty-three years after the "revelation" and fourteen after the publication of the "revelation," during which time polygamy was practiced (despite the lies to the USA authorities), the 1866 edition of their own Doctrine and Covenants stated that "polygamy was a crime" (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 109).

MORMON VIOLENCE

Throughout the history of Mormonism violence has played a great part - although they tell it as "persecution of the Latter-Day Saints." The truth is that at one time or another the Mormons were in rebellion against the United States of America and guilty of the 1857 massacre of 150 non-Mormon immigrants (men, women and children!) at Mountain Meadows by a band of Mormons and Indians led by Mormon Bishop John D. Lee (Schaff-Herzog, Encyclopaedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. VIII, p. 17). Twenty years after commiting this heinous crime, John D. Lee confessed to his crimes (admitting being under direct orders from "Prophet" Brigham Young) and was imprisoned, tried, convicted and eventually executed by the Government of the United States. For more information go to:

This brief survey of Mormon history must emphasise that the Mormon cult of today is a far cry from its early progenitors. Mormonism in our age is a well-organized, smoothly run, religio-economic empire featuring in the top fifty USA companies (e.g. controlling the sugar beet industry of the United States) and owning vast areas in the State of Utah and elsewhere. The Utah church continues to grow at a phenomenal rate and has boasted of such political and economic luminaries as Ezra Taft Benson (Secretary of Agriculture), and George Romney (President of American Motors).

THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT THOSE MISSIONARY STORIES!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints requires that each young member mainly support themselves during a two-year missionary tour of duty, and today on most foreign mission fields throughout the world Mormons can be found propagating that "other gospel" of which the Apostle Paul warned, the gospel of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

Two smartly dressed young men may introduce themselves as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and ask whether they can tell you about their church and way of life. They will share their "other gospel" with you but they will not tell you:

* that they wear special sacred underwear to protect them from evil; * that to get into the "highest heaven and exaltation" every Mormon has to take part in a temple ceremony so secret that they swear oaths never to mention it, under penalty of death. This also involves ceremonial washing which can be a great shock to the initiate because Masonic secrecy forbids foreknowledge! (they changed their temple ceremony in April 1990 in order to try and hide the nature of the insulting words used in reference to orthodox Christianity and the fact that they have stolen much of this from the Masons);* that they believe that black skin signifies that God has sent that person to earth under a curse because of their disobedience in the pre-life and that coloured people are therefore inferior (they tried to overturn this FACT of their history with a convenient revelation in June1978, following pressure by Christians in the Civil Rights Movement, which then made it possible for black people to hold the Mormon Priesthood - thus overturning the teachings of Brigham young who claimed that this was the everlasting state of affairs!);* that they believe they will become gods when they die, reign over their own planet and their WIVES lot is to be eternally pregnant; * women can only enter this "heaven" if they are married to a male "priesthood holder" on earth; * that Joseph Smith, their prophet and founder, had at least 18 wives and taught that God and Jesus have many wives; * that their original "priesthood" (and "prophets") declared that sins such as murder, theft, adultery - or a white person marrying a black person - would be punished on earth by castration or "death on the spot"!* that one of their own "bishops" had a younger Mormon believer castrated because he would not surrender his sweetheart to the older man as another polygamous wife in his harem. Did the Mormon hierarchy bring this vile bishop to trial for this crime? No! In fact he continued in his career as 'bishop' without serious rebuke of any kind.

All this, and many more incredible facts like these, speak loudly against the claim that Joseph Smith was used to "restore the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ" - which was never lost, of course. The Mormons would avoid telling you (or even deny) any of this if you were to begin their course of six missionary lessons. Why? Because it would put you off joining. You would realize that Mormonism is not just another denomination of Christianity, but a completely different religion - occultic and deceptive.

This is also true of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies and some other groups. Their doctrines differ, but all are very alien to those of mainstream Christianity and of the Bible itself. Of course, the members of these cults are totally sincere in believing that their religion is the right one and some even believe that they are doing you a favour by tricking you into joining. They will tell you many pleasant and tempting things about it, but we are encouraging you to contact us because we are certain that you should also know the more unpleasant and hidden things. Perhaps you don't know much about religion, or the Bible, and wouldn't know how to question these people? We would like to help you with this problem. We don't presume to tell you what to believe but we are in a position to tell you the whole truth to help you to make up your own mind. We have studied these groups in detail for many years and have access to libraries of their revealing original works. If you're "searching" for spiritual truths this free knowledge will enable you to make decisions based on FACTS and not FEELINGS or emotion. This is the definition of true faith - based on FACT not FEELINGS!We urge anyone considering joining the Mormon church (or other obscure groups) to search the links supplied and find out the truth about the group before you commit your life to them - knowing the truth now can save you years of torment and heartache?

An artists impression of the 'gold plates' supposedly given by an angel to Joseph Smith, but never actually 'seen' by any witnesses! Consider these facts:

Smith supposedly received the plates while kneeling - hands outstretched!

Smith then ran home with them under his arm - a distance of 3 miles - to escape unknown assailants whom he believed were out to rob him!

While the plates were unattended on the kitchen table, Smith's teenage sister claims to have 'hefted' the plates - and declared them to be 'quite heavy'!

the plates were described as measuring 7" x 8" x 6", equivalent to 336 cubic inches;

Gold weighs 1204.7 pounds per cubic foot;

These plates therefore weighed 234 pounds!

Obviously, the whole Smith family were gifted with supernatural strength for such occasions!

Or at least this is the kind of answer to expect if you challenge Mormon missionaries about the facts of the Book of Mormon, for they are as adept at covering up obvious discrepancies as their spiritual mentor, Smith - who proved to be an accomplished liar and was prosecuted for embezzlement as a 'glass looker' [a 'diviner' - a sin forbidden by God - see Lev 19:26; 1 Sam 15:23; 2 Kings 17:17] in his 1826, Bainbridge, New York trial, in which he was ordered to leave the district.

It is also noteworthy that, in 1859, Martin Harris, one of the 'witnesses' to the authenticity of the 'golden plates' and the Book of Mormon, gave an interview to TIFFANY'S MONTHLY (New York: Joel Tiffany, No.6 4th Ave) in which he declared: "I hefted the plates many times, and should think they weighed forty or fifty pounds".We would expect farmer Harris to know the difference between 50 pounds and 234 pounds!

Joseph Smith, Jr.

'General' of the Legion of Nauvoo (about the time of the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor)